Whether it’s a first heartbreak, a scraped knee or losing a beloved pet watching your children hurt is undeniably harder than hard. When life presents a potentially unpleasant or painful situation, our gut tells us to protect and shield our kids, even if it means being a little less than honest or presenting a watered down version of the truth. Most of us do so with the best of intentions, hoping and praying that we’ve somehow spared our children from unnecessary anguish.

Nothing could be truer when you are facing the task of telling your children you’re splitting up. In my coaching practice parents often ask me “How can I keep my children from feeling completely devastated when I tell them we are getting a divorce?” What they really mean to say is, “How can I bypass the hurt or at least make it hurt a little less?” While you may have the best of intentions, side stepping the upset doesn’t really help our children prepare for what lies ahead.

Whether approaching a first conversation or subsequent talks with children, here are some key points to keep in mind.

Shore yourself up first.

Talking about divorce isn’t just hard for kids. It’s also hard for parents. Before initiating a conversation with your children, be sure to sort through your own feelings about how life is changing. Think through what your children will need to hear (i.e. when they will see Mom and Dad, where will they live, what will change about their day-to-day lives etc.) and plan ahead how you will responsibility manage your feelings during the conversation.

Use clear language.

Sometimes parents mistakenly think they can soften the blow for kids by not using the words separation or divorce. Instead they may say something like, “We’ve decided we need a break to think things through.” Other parents try to dodge the bullet by offering an alternate explanation for why things are different, such as, “Mom/Dad has a big project at work and will be moving out for awhile so they can be closer to the office.” When this happens kids are often left hanging in limbo. They may also hold fast to the hope that things will eventually go back to the way they were before.

To avoid confusion be sure to talk with your children in a direct way using clear language.

Resist the urge to sugarcoat or gloss over. While there can be some advantages to Mom and Dad living apart, avoid exclusively presenting a “divorce with benefits” perspective (i.e. two Christmas celebrations, two birthdays, more presents, things really won’t change that much, we’ll all be much happier etc.) Children need to know that it’s both understandable and normal to feel sad about divorce.

Additionally trying to downplay the upset may:

Give your children the impression that you aren’t taking their feelings seriously.

Leave them wondering if there’s something you are not telling them.

Cause confusion about what’s really happening.

Send a subtle message that it’s not okay to talk about it.

Offer a sense of stability.

Along with addressing how things will be different, give your children solid ground to stand on by talking about what will stay the same.

For example you might say something like, “Although the relationship is changing between Mom and Dad, there are things in your life that will stay the same. You will still have a Mom and a Dad, we will both still love you very much, you will still go to the same school, have the same friends, you will still be part of a family, people who are important to you now will continue to be a part of your life.”

Also, whenever possible, do your best to minimize the number of changes kids have to deal with in the early stages of your separation or divorce. Keep in mind this does not mean that children should maintain one primary home and only have occasional contact with the other parent. When safety is not an issue, children benefit most when they have consistent and regular contact with both parents.

Don’t feel like you have to have all the answers.

If a question or issue comes up and you’re not sure what to say, don’t feel pressured to give an answer on the spot. Instead let your children know that you need some to think about the issue or question. It’s also fine to tell them that you don’t know. However, be sure not to leave them hanging. Keep in mind it’s essential to follow up and get back to them with an answer quickly.

Additionally, it’s important to understand that no matter how well you explain things or how carefully you word your answer, when it comes to explaining “why” you will probably never be able to completely satisfy your child’s need to know. Above all, resist the temptation to impulsively provide them with more information or too much elaboration on the reasons for the divorce.